2018 was a great year for Esperanza and its fight to protect and enhance Hunting Park’s environment. In April, we hosted the first-ever bilingual (English/Spanish) PHS Tree Tenders training with the participation of 45 people, mostly community residents. This year alone, we planted 54 street trees and plan to plant many more in years to…
Esperanza’s Housing and Economic Development division received a scale-tipping $450,000 renewal grant from Wells Fargo last week. The money will help support resident-driven community development projects and initiatives in Hunting Park, in addition to beautifying the North Philadelphia area. The grant builds on previous 2012 funding and will help Esperanza complete its Hunting Park 2022…
Nuevo proyecto por parte de funcionarios de Filadelfia promete mejorar el estilo de vida y seguridad de una comunidad al norte de la ciudad.
In the life cycle of a building, a few years’ time can mean the difference between being at the center of a community and falling into disrepair and blight. That was the case with the towering former pantyhose factory that housed Roberto Clemente Middle School in Hunting Park. In 1994, the public school closed. In…
Chess coach Gabrielle Moshier of the Philadelphia Chess Society told CLO that the experience was particularly meaningful for her girls from Esperanza High School and Middle School in Philly, pictured above. The top finisher from her program, Daiana Espindola, placed fourth in the Under 18 and most of her students gained rating points.
When the news broke last month that Philadelphia’s poverty rate was stuck for another year at 25.7 percent, still the highest of America’s 10 largest cities, the collective response was one of frustration. Despite Philly’s many cross-sector collaborations, local government efforts and discussions — prepare yourself for this shocker — ending poverty isn’t easy, which is why it hasn’t happened yet….
The annual awards ceremony and celebration, hosted by the sustainable lifestyle blog Green Philly, includes environmentally and locally-conscious award categories such as “Climate Hero” and “Neighborhood Champion.” According to the SustainPHL organizers, the Activist of the Year honor serves to recognize a community leader who has demonstrated dedication to a sustainability cause through “increasing visibility…
Gentrification can be a scary word, and one often heard in Philadelphia. While neighborhood development projects often purport to benefit the communities where they’re taking place, the appearance of doing good doesn’t always equal the desired effect. Longtime residents can feel left out of these sometimes-huge projects concerning their neighborhoods when they don’t have much input into whatever is planned.
The neighborhood is called Hunting Park, evoking images of green lawns and shady boughs. But the North Philadelphia community has one of the lowest percentages of tree canopy in the city, making it one of the hottest places to live and contributing to childhood asthma and other health issues.
It was a big celebration of Latin culture as the Puerto Rican Day Parade took over the Ben Franklin Parkway Sunday. The traditional festival of Puerto Rican pride featured plenty of dancers, marching bands and more.
